Sandy May Delay Smith-Ninth St. Subway Opening

Straphangers who live near the Smith-Ninth subway station have been waiting  for the station to reopen. And due to Superstorm Sandy, they may end up waiting yet longer.

When the station was first closed on June 20, 2011 for renovations, riders were told it would reopen in less than a year—March of 2012. Then the date was pushed back to "Fall of 2012."

Officials confirmed in September that the project was on schedule to be completed by Dec. 31, 2012, but an MTA spokeswoman said that while officials as still aiming for the Dec. 31 opening, Superstorm Sandy may push the date back.

Patch will let you know as soon as the MTA has confirmed the most likely opening date.

The $32 million Smith-Ninth Street station renovations, which are being done in coordination with the Fourth Avenue Interlocking Signal Modernization, will include a new and expanded street level control house, new architectural metal panel escalator enclosure and rehabilitated stairs and platforms. The station will also have new lighting, public address and CCTV systems. 

There will also be a 14-foot tall mosaic in the station as part of the Arts in Transit program.

The project is part of the larger Culver Viaduct Rehabilitation Project, a $275.5 million engineering and construction effort to rehabilitate the elevated steel and concrete Culver Viaduct structure, which both the F and G train lines run along. The MTA officials said the full project will be complete by the end of 2013.